gap year
noun
: a one-year hiatus from academic studies to allow for nonacademic activities
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web It’s like a cautionary tale for what not to do on your gap year travels. 
Riza Cruz, ELLE, 13 July 2022 The truth is, a lot of gap year stories may sound spontaneous, but that's almost never the case. Helen Lu, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2022 In 2000, as part of his gap year between Eton College and St. Andrew's University, William spent a period of time with the unit under the guidance of the Welsh Guards. Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Mar. 2022 The flu-season gap year in 2020–2021 also may have left our immune system less prepared, setting us up for a more severe season this time around, some experts say. Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2022 The number of students doing a traditional gap year program is trending back to ordinary levels for the 2021-2022 school year. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 24 May 2021 With international travel — often a staple of traditional gap year programs — on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, more students than ever made an independent itinerary for their year off from traditional school. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 24 May 2021 From the New York Times, a story on Ivy League athletes denied a sports season but figuring way to have gap year. Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2021 Iwama said students were delaying college or taking a gap year until the pandemic ends. Carole Carlson, chicagotribune.com, 26 Apr. 2021 See More
Riza Cruz, ELLE, 13 July 2022 The truth is, a lot of gap year stories may sound spontaneous, but that's almost never the case. Helen Lu, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2022 In 2000, as part of his gap year between Eton College and St. Andrew's University, William spent a period of time with the unit under the guidance of the Welsh Guards. Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Mar. 2022 The flu-season gap year in 2020–2021 also may have left our immune system less prepared, setting us up for a more severe season this time around, some experts say. Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2022 The number of students doing a traditional gap year program is trending back to ordinary levels for the 2021-2022 school year. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 24 May 2021 With international travel — often a staple of traditional gap year programs — on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, more students than ever made an independent itinerary for their year off from traditional school. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 24 May 2021 From the New York Times, a story on Ivy League athletes denied a sports season but figuring way to have gap year. Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2021 Iwama said students were delaying college or taking a gap year until the pandemic ends. Carole Carlson, chicagotribune.com, 26 Apr. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1978, in the meaning defined above